Auron's last journey
by Fenixmagic
Summary: Rated R for mild sex. AuronxYuna. What happens when Auron and Yuna turn to each other for comfort?


Auron put his good arm around Yuna, holding her close while she sobbed into his coat. They had been stuck in the Via Purifico for only a short while, but it seemed the events leading up to their sentence had taken their toll on Yuna.

"I never thought it would be this hard when I was growing up. Everyone was so supportive. I thought I would be loved by the people of Spira, and to show my gratitude I would bring them the Calm."

"The people of Spira are still behind you. It is the Maesters who have betrayed their trust," Auron answered in his even voice.

"But will the people understand that?" Yuna looked up at Auron, trying to read his face.

"When you bring the Calm, everyone will understand it."

Yuna seemed to stop sobbing, but she held onto Auron even tighter. He resigned himself to holding her for a while.

"We should move on," Auron said, breaking the silence of the dark tunnel.

"I am afraid," Yuna said.

"I will protect you," he responded simply.

"Can you protect me from failing? I have betrayed Yevon and all that I've believed in. Tell me it's not for nothing!"

At this, Yuna burst into tears again. Auron waited quietly, holding her. It was hard for him to remember when he had been that young, when everything meant so much and the weight of the world seemed to be on his shoulders alone. Instead, he himself felt a sort of calm that was permanent; after all, what else could be taken from you besides life?

Yuna seemed to gather herself together, sniffling and drying her eyes with her sleeves. Auron watched her, painfully aware of how hopeless she seemed. It drove a stake into his heart, and he looked at her with the realization of just how much Lord Braska's daughter had come to mean to him.

"I'm sure you think I'm a baby," Yuna muttered, wiping her face.

"No, actually," Auron said in a soft voice. "I think your father would be proud of you."

"What about you?" Her soft colored eyes looked into his with a need - for approval, for acceptance.

He swallowed hard, a sudden lump forming in his throat. "I....am also very proud of you."

Yuna seemed to accept his statement, but something in him wanted to tell her more, to say how much he'd come to care about her. What did it mean? Auron had never been very good at deciphering his own emotions. They always seemed to show up when it was too late to do anything about them, when the person he loved was about to die. Here he and Yuna were in the Via Purifico, almost certain to die, and he was starting to know what he felt about her. He cursed a little under his breath.

"Sir Auron?"

"Yes, Yuna?" He broke from his reverie.

"I am afraid we will die down here. Even your strength is not enough to overcome these fiends alone."

"I am not alone," Auron said. "I am accompanied by a very talented summoner, if not the best in Spira. We will make it through."

Yuna flashed Auron a smile filled with relief and happiness. "Then I suppose we should be moving on. Thank you, Sir Auron!" She threw her arms around him again, this time in a joyous hug. Auron held her close and breathed in the scent of her hair; a flowery scent amidst the mildewy gloom of the tunnel. Why did he have to feel this way now?

* * *

"Sir Auron, you have been so quiet!"

Yuna was speaking to him aboard the airship, her own worries of Sin and losing the Final Aeon on her face. Still she was compelled to feel concern for him....Auron secretly felt pleased.

"I am just...thinking."

Yuna gave him an odd look, then gracefully reached for his good hand. "Come with me," Yuna said softly, gently pulling him down the hall. Curious, Auron let himself be led towards one of the storage compartments where the Al Bhed liked to stay.

A couple of heads turned to look at Yuna as she stepped through the sliding door. In a soft voice, she asked the Al Bhed, "Can you please give us some privacy?"

A few of the Al Bhed looked confused. Blushing, Yuna asked haltingly, "Lyh oui mad ic ica drec nuus?"

The Al Bhed made to leave, a couple of them smiling and talking loudly, patting Auron on the shoulder. He raised an eyebrow to Yuna as the last Al Bhed left and the door slid closed, leaving them alone. "You've been using the Al Bhed primers Tidus keeps. Exactly what did you tell them?"

"I think I asked them if we could use the room." Yuna was blushing.

Auron smirked in his impudent way. "I think you should study more."

Yuna blushed intensely.

Auron hmphed and sat down on a box. "Did you have a reason for bringing me here, or did you just feel like starting rumours among the Al Bhed?" he said, taking off his glasses.

Yuna looked up at him, a little scared until she saw his grin. "You are making fun of me, Sir Auron!"

She sat down on a box across from Auron, staring at the candle the Al Bhed had left behind. It's light flickered on her face, and once again Auron noticed how beautiful she was. She had always been so quiet, the perfect daughter, but she was not his daughter and he couldn't help but notice that she was an attractive young woman now. He had kept his feelings for her silent since the Via Purifico, not wanting to disrupt her pilgrimage, but now that they had fought Yunalesca, his emotions had run dangerously close to the surface. Perhaps it had been reliving what Brasca and Jecht had sacrificed for an outdated dogma - the memories certainly had taken their toll. It hurt him deeply to think of the two of them giving their lives for nothing, but it had hurt him even more when Yuna had been called to do it. Auron didn't think he could have survived another heartbreak like the last one. He would have just broken apart, unsent and unreal, never to be heard from again. The relief he felt when they defeated Yunalesca had broken loose a tide of feelings, one he had been working ever since to get back under control.

"Sir Auron, I know back in Zanarkand, things must have been very hard on you. It was very hard for me to see my father...again....even if he was a memory. I wanted to tell you," Yuna reached out, her cool fingers wrapping around his good hand, "That I am here for you. We share a common pain."

Auron closed his eye. Despite isolating himself outside the cabin and saying little to anyone, somehow Yuna had still managed to sense his troubles. Unfortunately, she did not know she was one of them. He sighed.

"Thank you, Yuna, for your comfort, but I will not ask you to support my troubles. Your pilgrimage is on an uncharted path. You need all the support you can to make sure you are ready for the final fight."

Yuna's eyes met his, and he sensed a linked sorrow. How could she have grown up so much over these past few weeks?

"Sir Auron....Auron...that is....why...I am here with you."

He watched her closely, his face betraying none of the emotions that had just sprang up inside him.

"You, more than anyone, know what it is that I am going through, what I am facing. I need a friendly ear, and no one else understands this more than you. I am sorry if I am troubling you."

"Yuna, it is not troubling me. Please, allow me to do whatever I can to help."

With mixed emotions, he held out his hand to her. He was determined to be supportive of Yuna no matter the cost, including if that meant hoping she didn't notice how his heart was racing when she touched him.

Yuna pulled gently, leading Auron to the side of the wall where a makeshift pallet had been made by one of the Al Bhed. They sat down beside each other, Yuna holding Auron's hand in hers and leaning her head against his shoulder. Time passed in silence, and Auron was beginning to wonder if Yuna was asleep.

"What will they think of me if I fail?" Yuna said, after some time, her voice breaking with the fear in her voice.

"You will not fail," Auron said. "Spira will thank you for setting them free."

"You have so much faith in me, Au...Sir..."

"Just Auron is fine, Yuna. You may call me what you wish."

Yuna moved his arm and put it around her. Auron was beginning to wonder if her agenda was more than just talk. He would not force anything, no matter how he felt. He resolved to give her the time she needed to express whatever it was that she wanted in her own way.

"I've been wondering. Kimarhi said he found me at the wish of a dying man. Ever since the Trials of Zanarkand, I have been wondering if I was wrong to assume it was my father."

Yunalesca's killing blow crossed Auron's mind, and he suppressed a shudder. "Your father wished that you be taken care of."

"Yes, but did you wish it, too?"

Yuna's eyes met his, and he knew he could not lie to her. "It was my wish as well."

She grasped the meaning without speaking it aloud. Silence passed between then, then Yuna said in a small voice, "You will leave us the next time I send, then....."

"Most likely. I have done what I came to do."

Her eyes filled with tears. "You can't leave us, Auron! You can't leave...me..."

She threw her arms around him, holding him close to her. Auron used his good arm to hold her, stroking her soft hair. She cried without sobbing into his coat and he was reminded again of the tunnels. It would be hard to leave her when the time came. A small twinge of regret ran through Auron. If he could just express how he felt this once, maybe his passing would be easier. Maybe.

"Auron," Yuna said softly. "I am not sure how to say this."

He waited in silence, letting her compose her thoughts as he stroked her hair.

"I want....You have always been there for me, helping me, guiding me. Over my journey, I looked to you for wisdom and protection more than any other. I believe that ...somewhere....I fell in love with you."

Auron wondered if his heartbeat was as loud as it was in his own ears. Yuna touched his face lightly, a concerned expression on her own face. "It is my wish, now that I know that you will not be here much longer, for you to...accompany me on another journey."

"Where do you want to go?" Auron asked, trying to mask the shakiness that had crept into his voice and hands.

"I want you to be my teacher in love."

Yuna blushed and Auron knew that she really was asking him to make love to her, her demure and modest upbringing denying her the ability to speak it clearly.

"Are you sure this is something you want?" He was worried she perhaps knew how he felt and was just trying to please him in some way.

"I have been thinking about it since the Via Purifico. I did not know then that you were unsent, but I was concerned about you, more than myself, when I thought we would die."

She moved closer to him, her arms holding him close. "I realized that I wanted you to teach me when I kissed Tidus. I am afraid of disappointing him, but I am also afraid that he will disappoint me. I want to know what to expect."

Yuna leaned closer, her face close to Auron, serious concern furrowing her brow. "More importantly, I want to feel the closeness of you who I have come to respect and admire. It would be a great honor to me."

Auron took a minute to contemplate her request. He tried analyzing it without emotion, but his feelings for her were so strong he wasn't sure he was successful. At last, he croaked, "You should be sure of what you ask. This isn't a child's game."

"I am sure. I love you, Auron, and I know I am asking a lot..."

At last, he could no longer hold back how he felt. Auron's eye sparkled as he gently told her, "You ask nothing I will not give as a pleasure and an honor."

Yuna's hopeful gaze met his as he gently touched her face. "I love you," Auron whispered. Joy spread across her face as she kissed Auron, pulling his collar down.

Gently, Auron ran his hands over Yuna's body over her clothing. If he was to continue his role as teacher, he would not let his own hormones ruin her experience. She breathed silently on his neck where she had removed his collar and undid the belts that held his coat in place. He let the coat slip off of him and took the time to remove his glove. Yuna took a deep breath in as she moved against him, touching the bare skin of his arm.

"Is that..your...?" Yuna asked, looking down at the bulge of his pants.

Auron smiled gently. She had a lot to learn. "Yes."

"What...do I do?"

"Nothing you don't feel comfortable doing."

Yuna looked at him, curiosity getting the best of formality. "What does it look like?"

The teaching went on, Yuna getting more and more bold with each layer of clothing that was piled on the floor. Auron did his best to be patient and gentle, but as Yuna tried more contact, he felt an insistent urge to enter her. At last, he took her in his arms and laid her down on the small pallet on the floor, slowly pushing inside her. She looked afraid for only a moment, then he felt her push back onto him. The hard part was over for Yuna. The couple began enjoying each other on equal terms, and Auron no longer had to feel restrained.

The lovemaking lasted for what seemed like a blessed eternity. Auron tried to remember every detail of Yuna's body, the way it fit his, the look in her eyes of sheer pleasure. It was hard not to grab onto her and not let go when she rose from the floor an hour later, after making love again, to get dressed.

"I must go," she said, the demureness back as she dressed with her back to him.

"Do you regret this?" Auron asked, a husky note of pain in his voice. He finished getting dressed again as well, sitting back down to put on his boots.

"Never, Sir....I mean, Auron."

Yuna bent down and kissed him again, the smile he'd seen as they made love creeping back through her manners. "I am glad that you gave me this experience."

He questioned in his mind what seemed like overly formal words to him after the intimacy they shared. As she reached the door, however, it slid open and she turned to him. "I will love you always." Tears glimmered in her eyes, and Auron knew how much it was costing her to go on, to be formal. She was truly her father's daughter.

"I will love you always as well, and I will always be there for you, whether it be here or on the Farplane."

Yuna smiled, heartbreak and joy showing on her face. "Thank you."

She disappeared and the door closed. Auron sat for a while, contemplating what had happened. He had meant what he said about being there always, and it gave him a peace that nothing since Lord Braska and Jecht's deaths had been able to give. Perhaps now, after protecting both of their offspring, his death could be peaceful. Auron walked out of the room to take his place out in the hall, to be there no matter what. At last he knew his fate. It was a comforting thought. 


End file.
